CHRISTIAN BENTEKE has three months to prove he fits Jurgen Klopp's vision after the Liverpool manager challenged him to solve his stuttering form.

Christian Benteke has scored six goals in 21 Premier League appearances for Liverpool this term

Klopp revealed he has held a series of talks with the £32.5m striker but warned that ultimately the onus for revitalising his poor performances lies squarely with Benteke.

Benteke faces a return to former club Aston Villa on Sunday clearly fighting for his Anfield future despite being the club's leading scorer with seven goals.

The Belgium international - signed by Klopp's predecessor Brendan Rodgers - has not scored since plundering the winner against Sunderland on December 30.

A lack of confidence has since been betrayed by a number of glaring misses and Klopp said: "I can do a lot of things but at the end - and it is not only with Christian - the last important help comes from the player himself.

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"It is not the easiest period of his career but the number of opportunities is a good sign. If he had no opportunities it would be a much bigger problem but it is not too easy.

"You cannot hide yourself. I talked to him a few times and gave him some advice as a human being and a coach and he has really tried to come back to an easy moment.

"Strikers who do not score goals for a longer period, it is more interesting than if someone else does not score enough. There are worse situations in the world - even in the world of football - so we have to carry on and he has to carry on."

Klopp has preferred Roberto Firmino to the forward in league matches and now has Daniel Sturridge and Divock Origi fit again after injury to further increase the competition for places.

It seems unlikely that Benteke will start at Villa Park where he scored 49 goals in 101 appearances between 2012 and 2015 even though Klopp saw an improvement in the FA Cup defeat to West Ham in midweek.

"When crosses come into the box - and the cross is good - and Christian Benteke is not close to it, then something is wrong," said Klopp.

"He had these opportunities and he was reacting on the ball and had opportunities after set-pieces. But when you miss a goal, or a chance, it is not like it would be usually because you are thinking, 'Still it didn't change'.

"We speak about it like it is an illness. It is not. It is a situation and you can solve the problem on the pitch or in training or in both moments.

"It is not as bad as it sounds. Carry on, but you have to change things or the problem will not be solved."